New Product Category Rule for Clay Brick Published by ASTM

Words: Dan KamysWith support from the brick industry, ASTM has published a new Product Category Rule (PCR) for clay brick products. This significant milestone allows for development of North American Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for clay brick products, including brick, pavers and structural clay tile. The formal name is the Clay Brick, Clay Brick Pavers, and Structural Clay Tile PCR.
The product group includes manufactured masonry units made by forming and ring prepared mixtures of clay, shale and other materials. These are generically known as clay brick, clay brick pavers, and structural clay tile. Specific products are listed in Section 3.0 definitions and are given in Table 1. The full PCR can be found as a PDF on the ASTM website.  
Managing the Mysterious Job Site Slowdown
August 2026

Every contractor knows the feeling. A job looks good on paper. The schedule makes sense. The crews are lined up. The material is supposed to be there. Then, for no obvious reason, the whole job starts crawling. That is what makes it so frustrating. Nobod

Damian Lang
Contractor Tip of the Month
Read More
Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More
The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More